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October 17, 2014

New Noise Conference & Festival – Friday, October 17th

Experimenting with New Noise

New noise can mean many things. Perhaps it is a new sound for the listener; perhaps it is a new sound for the performer. I decide to explore both meanings on the 3rd night of the New Noise Conference & Music Festival.

Friday night touted four great showcases throughout downtown Santa Barbara, ranging from New Soul to California Reggae. I decided to go with something local and something new from two different genres at two different venues. It was not a hard choice since the two venues are literally next door to each other, making the jump between the two quite easy for me.

Blind Tiger hosted an indie pop showcase with sets from locals Kyran Million and the Blues & Greys, followed by Brooklyn’s own Deluka. You may know Kyran from the local band Indian Trading Furs. Well, he’s gone solo. This was my something new for the artist. I asked Kyran what we could expect from his solo material. “I would call it a ‘lapse of consciousness’,” Kyran confided, “To the effect that I’m not scrutinizing every minuet detail in the creative process. After this purge I will ‘come to’ and analyze, taper, and fix all the un-established ideas.” The raw acoustic set that followed showed a depth of emotion and talent that I look forward watching grow from seeds to flowers in the near future.

Onward to something new for the listener – me! LA’s Nick Waterhouse playing at Velvet Jones was the show recommended to me most by the people I asked. “I've been following the new soul movement a bit,” confessed New Noise co-founder Matt Kettman, “Nick's a great example of someone taking a traditional style and putting a new spin on it.” Looking like a modern day Buddy Holly, Nick immediately got the packed house dancing to a wild mix of guitar riffs, saxophones, keys and beats that resembled your dad’s (or granddad’s) music with a facelift. It felt both new and familiar, and definitely kept the energy level up till the wee night.

I was satisfied with my experiment with new noise. I’d postulate that New Noise delivered again.